INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jrue Holiday was feeling sick all day and missed the team's morning shooting practice.
But when it mattered most, the Celtics guards looked just fine.
Holiday converted a 3-point play with 38.9 seconds left to give Boston its first lead in nearly 36 minutes. This was followed by a steal to save the game. Then, on Saturday night, he made two free throws to seal a 114-111 victory at Indiana and give the Celtics a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics overcame an 18-point second-half deficit and can clinch their second NBA Finals berth in three years with another win on Monday at Indiana.
“I'm OK. I had a fever but I slept a lot. But I feel OK,” Holiday said. “I just played (at the end). He's a great player and played a great game. I just played.”
Holiday, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, including five points in the final 39 seconds of the game, appeared to be in poor health during the game, but appeared to be in his usual form after the game, healthy enough to have his children sit on his lap.
While Holiday struggled to find his footing, Boston's other players got the job done.
Jayson Tatum tied his playoff career high with 36 points and had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylen Brown added 24 points and the 37-year-old Al Horford scored 23 points and made 7 of 12 3-pointers.
But it was Holiday's performance late in the game that silenced the raucous Indiana crowd. Boston won a perfect 5-0 victory on the road. in the playoffs this season.
“We're happy to have him. Jrue's a super competitive guy,” Tatum said. “Obviously, he's a championship player. He came in here and gave it his all for us and made some big plays to win games. We've got a great team.”
The Pacers were already facing a tough road back to the lineup in this series before learning that All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton would miss Game 3 with a left hamstring injury. It's also unclear whether he'll be available for Game 4.
Still, the Pacers refused to crumble.
Andrew Nembard led the Pacers with a career-high 32 points before getting the ball stolen by Holiday with 3.3 seconds left. TJ McConnell had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam each had 22 points and Turner had 10 rebounds.
Indiana had a chance to force overtime, but Aaron Nesmith missed a 3-pointer.
The Pacers scored 69 points in the first half alone, twice led by 18 and held a 107-99 lead against the NBA's top team with three minutes left. It was clear the Pacers just couldn't get Haliburton on the court.
“Bold. Our guys played a great game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We fell a little short tonight, but we're going to come back on Monday and try harder.”
Still, the sellout crowd, mostly dressed in gold plaid shirts emblazoned with dozens of stamps outlining the state of Indiana and filled with actors gathered for the Indianapolis 500 weekend celebrations, energized the Pacers just as they did when they won all of their first playoff home games.
But Holiday's final shot, a big layup, the game-winning free throw, the defensive play of the game and two game-winning free throws with 1.1 seconds left quieted the crowd on a wild night.
Indiana built an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter, then tied it again midway through the third. The second time, Boston took advantage of a series of Indiana turnovers to launch a 13-4 run to pull within 90-81 at the end of the third quarter.
The Celtics went on a 9-3 run to start the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 93-90 on a Horford 3-pointer with 8:29 left.
Indiana regained a 107-99 lead with 3:05 left, but could only watch as Boston went on a 13-2 run thanks to Holiday's efforts.
“We've overcome every challenge,” Tatum said. “We're in a good position right now, one win away from the Finals, but we can't look back on Monday. We have a special chance to get back to the Finals.”
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